After visiting the Agoge, a spartan home, and the temple of Artemis Orthia, I am left at a loss for words at everyone's dedication to create strong warriors, no matter which role they play. Their dedication to this act made me curious what it was all for. Where do all these young boys go after being trained for fighting and protecting their entire life. Some of these boys go to war and fight on the front lines, however the strongest and best boys join the Krypteia(undercover police). Their job was to watch over people they referred to as helots. The helots were people who owned and did most of the labor in Sparta, they were essentially slaves. Sparta was powerful in its own way but they were aware of the power in numbers, this fear forced the creation of the Krypteia. They were instructed to intimidate, scare, or even kill the helots who even thought they were brave. The Krypteia was Sparta's attempt to maintain control, it was cruel no doubt about that but it worked and that's all that mattered to Sparta. These young men I want to say ruthless but they were loyal and were taught there were two options: loyalty or death. The Krypteia was the ultimate exam of Sparta. I watched them train as they moved quietly through obstacles, it sent shivers down my spine of how stealth they truly are. It was terrifying. As I got around to talking to some of these boys they made me feel very uneasy through their stories. In all seriousness, I learned today that Sparta is willing to do anything to maintain control. It was truly a display of their core values. Come join me tomorrow as I end my journey by attending a Spartan religious festival which was one of their many gatherings!
No comments:
Post a Comment